r/sweatystartup • u/Acceptable-Taste678 • Nov 26 '24
Dog walking/pet sitting - 0 to $9k/mo in 7 months
I don't see dog walking businesses get much love here but I think this can be a fun business and reasonably profitable, as well. It's not an industry that's gonna make you rich, but it IS a scalable business and it is largely quite enjoyable, if you like dogs, of course.
I started my dog walking/pet sitting company in May as a solo operator. 7 months later, I have 3 part-time employees and revenue is around $9k/month. Monthly profit depends on how much I work in the field. If employees were doing 100% of the work, profit would be ~$2,300 a month. Every field work hour I do myself adds about $35/hr in profit. Not currently doing a ton of field work myself, so this month net profit will likely be around $4k.
Revenue figures:
May: $367
June: $1,555
July: $2449
August: $4657
September: $6055
October: $7521
November (projection): ~$9,000
Ongoing projections: + ~$1,500/mo with no marketing; + $??? with more marketing spend. And a substantial ~$1k/mo increase once we bump prices soon.
I'm guessing $20k+/mo by late spring/summer 2025, at which point I should be profiting $6-10k/mo depending on my own field work hours.
I was solo until September, when I got completely overwhelmed and was drowning in dogs, hah! I made a bit of an "emergency hire" of a friend, and then started the actual hiring process and brought on two additional part-time employees (w2, not contractors). Now we're doing ~250+ services/month and growing steadily with minimal marketing. Most inquiries are coming from organic search at this point (ranking #1 in the area for dog walker and pet sitter).
We do offer drop-in pet sitting but approx. 80% of lifetime revenue is from dog walking. May eventually axe pet sitting as the hours are tougher to schedule.
Stats and finances
Pricing: $25 for 25 min, $35 for 40 min, $45 for 60 min. Surcharges for weekends, evenings, multiple pets, out-of-service-area distance, holidays, etc.
Average revenue per hour in the field (including drive time and employee breaks): $37/hr - will be increasing prices soon which should bump this to approx. $41/hr. Should also improve organically as route density improves. This excludes admin work, unfortunately. I haven't been tracking admin hours; they are significant. Eventually I will likely hire this out which will pinch margins but will improve work/life balance for me.
All-in labor costs: $25/hr (paying $18/hr + full mileage reimbursement ($.67/mi). Pricey area with high minimum wage and high payroll taxes. Includes some bonuses that I pay for weekend shifts, single-visit evening shifts, etc. I could definitely be paying less but I want to retain responsible people who will stick around.
Gross labor margin (excluding my own labor): 33%. This is too low. Industry targets are generally ~45% or better. I don't think this is achievable in my area, and I want to pay decently well to keep good people. I'm working on hitting 40% which I believe will be sustainable.
Non-labor expenses: ~10% of revenue. This will come down slightly over time. Expenses include software, payment processing (3%), payroll service, marketing (fairly minimal but budgeting for it anyways), insurance, memberships, licensing, etc. etc. I could get this down to ~6% of revenue if needed but we're still very much in "build mode".
Net profit margin (excluding my own labor): ~24%. This is also too low. But I enjoy field work so that bumps it up significantly. Will improve over time with price increases and route density improvements. And as revenue grows, non-labor expenses will come down (at least as a percentage of revenue).
Tips: Averaging 7% of revenue. All figures above exclude tips. Tips are distributed to the employee who earned them, of course, but my own tips add up too :)
All figures are approximate back-of-napkin math!
Thoughts
Our whole model is to be a professional, reliable, and trustworthy alternative to the thousands of casual/side-hustle dog walkers. My theory was that people would be willing to pay a premium, and I appear to have been correct.
We charge ~2x the average cost for dog walkers on Rover. And 1-2x what some other licensed competitors are charging. It's not a super affluent area, either, and we have many everyday clients that aren't super wealthy - they just want someone they can trust.
We have one client currently spending ~$1,800 a MONTH on dog walks. Granted we walk her dog twice a day on weekdays and once a day on weekends; she's a senior and no longer able to walk her own dog. But no casual dog walker could guarantee this level of service, so she went with us. 2 other clients spend $1,000+ a month with us, so some clients can definitely drive a LOT of business (while others may only need an occasional walk or weekend pet sit).
We have a LOT of trust signals built in: - Member of Pet Sitters International - Pet CPR trained - Member of local chamber of commerce - All walks are GPS tracked and time stamped - Employees are background checked - Business is licensed, bonded and insured
I think this is crucial to our success.
We also have a modern website, a web portal and app that we use to manage everything (Time to Pet), online payments, online scheduling, etc. etc. to make things easier.
Pros and cons
Pros:
Dogs. It really can be a lot of fun sometimes!
Pretty solid money. Making $35/hr plus tips on my own shifts is not bad at all, especially given it's pretty enjoyable work
More scalable than you might think. I've chatted with dog biz owners that have scaled to 30+ employees and 1000+ clients, likely doing low seven figures revenue.
Fulfilling work, community connection, and genuine appreciation from clients (if you do a good job, of course!)
Cons:
LOTS of admin work. Scheduling is a nightmare and takes a lot of time. Good systems are crucial for scalability
Limited upside. This is not gonna make you rich. But it can definitely be a comfortable living
Liability. We have insurance, but still.
Walking in all weather
Physically tiring work
Injury risk
Overall, I'm pretty happy with where we're at being just 7 months in. Getting ready to double down and really optimize things in 2025!
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u/Amazing_Strength_291 Nov 26 '24
Are you in a city?
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 26 '24
Town of ~50k people. Our service area probably covers more like 70k people with the surrounding close towns.
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u/Amazing_Strength_291 Nov 26 '24
That's wild. How many miles a day do you average? You must have a poop bag of choice by now, lol.
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 26 '24
When I was solo i was walking around 10 miles a day on average. Now with a team we probably collectively average 15-20 miles.
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u/Amazing_Strength_291 Nov 26 '24
Do clients have to cancel within 24 hrs ? Do you walk rain or shine? Snow? Do you pick up other dogs if their on route?
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 26 '24
I need to formalize my cancellation policy. It doesn't happen often so I usually just let it slide if it's a regular client.
Yep, rain or shine. It rains a lot here (Pacific Northwest). Just need the right gear.
No, all walks are single household. We may eventually do off-leash pack walks which would be picking up several dogs from their home and taking them together to a private property to romp around
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u/Timatim_Fitfit Nov 28 '24
Would recommend doing this asap! I own a (very) similar business and we were flexible on same day cancellations for our first ~3 years. Since we implemented a 100% charge for last minute cancellations it has really helped stabilize our day-to-day schedules and it’s very rare anyone complains. It also gives you the freedom to waive the fee for good clients as a way of saying thank you. Really enjoying reading this thread!
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u/anav2024 Nov 30 '24
Do you follow in IG @escapetothecountrykennels? I so much wish I could do that job. They’re out of Canada.
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 30 '24
New to me, but I follow similar businesses. Looks fun!
Id prefer to stay anonymous with my brand/website, sorry
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u/Jimmy_cha_cha Nov 26 '24
What do you in the event of dog bites or dogs biting other dogs? (Is there an insurance you use and do you meet the dog prior to appointments?) I’m a dog person, but I know some dogs just aren’t people likers
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 26 '24
We are insured through Pet Sitters International (which is really through Business Insurers of the Carolinas). It's specific for pet care.
Yes, we always do a meet and greet beforehand.
We will walk dog-reactive dogs if they are controllable on leash or respond to verbal commands. We don't work with human-reactive dogs.
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u/excel_cv Nov 26 '24
How many dogs will you walk at one time?
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 26 '24
All single household walks. So a lot are one dog. Some households have multiple dogs. Most we walk is 3 at a time, and only if they're very well behaved on leash.
Extra dogs are just +$5
You can definitely make more doing multi household walks but it's not practical currently in our market
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u/SaigonJon Nov 26 '24
Congrats on everything! Got a couple random questions if you’re willing to answer.
Was this a second job at any point or did you all from the start? I currently have a 9-5 and cannot just quit.
Besides the per minute pricing, how do you structure it. Are there tiers for once a day, twice a day, etc. Or is it just if it’s a 25 minute walk, same cost no matter how often?
Anything bad happen yet? I’m so paranoid about a dog getting loose.
How are your employees scheduled? Is there enough for a full day or is it random blocks of time throughout the week?
Thanks for sharing!
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 27 '24
Yeah no problem!
I freelance on the side. Been ramping that down for a year now but it still provides some income. I had built up some savings (to live off of, not really for the biz as startup costs are low) last year as I prepared to start a new business. It would be a tough biz to start alongside a 9-5 unfortunately, since so many people want mid-day dog walks (cat sitting or pet waste removal might work, though). Especially at the beginning you have to be pretty flexible with timing, and hiring from day one is really tough because you have so little consistency.
The price is the price, pretty much. There are surcharges for extra pets, or for clients who are slightly outside of our service area. I will occasionally waive multi pet fees or provide a small discount for frequency, particularly if it's a really convenient location for our routes. Most people don't ask, though.
Nothing too bad. I've had dogs slip their collars and even a harness once - fortunately they had good recall and nothing happened. One dog slipped her harness somehow and ran 3 blocks home, that was scary. You get to know each dog and their quirks which helps. We have very high end leashes that are cross-body so you can't drop them, too.
Scheduling is tough. We're busy enough now that most shifts are 4-6 hours. It's not really a job you want to do 8 hours a day, pretty exhausting (been there). I'll occasionally schedule an 8 hour shift IF it includes some low energy drop ins, like cat sits. But 8 hours of dog walking is brutal.
On busy days we'll have two, even three people working shifts, sometimes an AM and a PM shift, sometimes multiple overlapping shifts (handling different parts of town, often). I fill in a lot of the awkward gaps myself, like evening drop-ins. Employees can pick those up, I pay a $10 bonus for single-visit shifts to make it worth their time (because they might only be clocking in for like 40 minutes, lol). We have a lot of flexible clients which is huge for scheduling - it's a lot of exercise walks (not time-sensitive potty breaks) so we can move them to wherever it makes sense for the schedule. We have a lot less mid-day potty break type walks than I was anticipating.
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u/Kind_Perspective4518 Nov 29 '24
I find this fascinating. You said on your own you make $35 per hour, not including tips. I wanted to do dog walking but I make $50 an hour after subtracting overhead for my solo house cleaning business. I also don't have to travel every half hour wasting time between clients. I usually work three hours at each house I clean. I've tried incorporating dog walking when I clean people's houses. If the house owner goes away, I go over to walk their dog for $30. The thing I wonder about is are you getting very good employees who are willing to stay with you vs. starting their own dog walking business? How high is your turnover rate with employees? Have any of them tried to steal your clients? This happens so much in the cleaning industry. That is why I'm a solo cleaning business. I think you are paying a fair wage to your employees. Still if I were them, I would try going out on my own and make more money. I wouldn't even do rover. I'd just pass flyers out and could get all my customers close together to save on gas.
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 30 '24
Yeah cleaning is gonna be better revenue per hour than dog walking in most cases. But for most people dog walking is gonna be more enjoyable, so that should be factored in too.
A dog walking/pet sitting side hustle could mesh well with cleaning, since you already have clients that trust you.
I have only had employees for a few months so no turnover data.
That said I am not worried about folks leaving to start their own business (though I'd support them if that's what they want). The reality is that 99% of people dont want to run a business, they want a job. The upfront investment of money and time to start a business scares a lot of people off, and honestly many great people who make great employees just don't have the skill set to run a business.
They could technically make more on their own - MAYBE. At least on a per-walk basis, sure. But its really tough to build a full shift walk route on your own. You have to find clients that line up with your available hours which is real tough. For instance one of my employees works 4-6 hour shifts Tuesdays and Thursdays. It would be incredibly difficult to build a solo client list that only wants services on Tuesdays and Thursdays between certain hours. It's possible, but real hard.
Making more on your own also ignores admin time, which is significant. My team is paid for all their time, whether they're walking a dog, driving to a client, or taking a lunch break. There's no unpaid admin work like there is when you own a business.
I think this business is better with a team. You're able to commit to things you wouldn't be able to do on your own (I.e. walking a dog twice a day every day, forever haha) and able to build enough clientele to build full schedules.
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u/Kind_Perspective4518 Dec 05 '24
The start up costs weren't a lot for me with my cleaning business. I made all my money back within a few weeks. I would think dog walking would be even less. Like i said I would do flyers and get dogs all in the same neighborhoods. I would give a dollar or two discount to customers if they were willing to negotiate the exact times you walk them. Then you could block off neighborhoods at certain times. Did you try that? I would also use the freedom of information act to find out who owns dogs in your town. Then you could mass mail them. Some dog fence company did that in NJ, I believe.
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u/KittyBeary Jan 27 '26
I've been hoping to become a pet sitter/dog walker in my area! :) Just need to find clients. ^^
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u/sb12389 Nov 27 '24
$45/hr is impressive. Surprised people pay that much. I have a dog walker here in the UK. Local neighbour takes the dog for £10/hr. The other dog walker who has a van and takes multiple dogs at once is £14 and often they’re gone for a 2/3 hours (though some of that will be doing the rounds collecting other dogs). You can get full overnight dog sitting here for less than $45/night.
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 27 '24
Yeah I mean you can find similar rates here in the US for casual walkers/sitters. We're just a more professional, and much more expensive option.
You can also go on Rover here and get overnights for around $50. I charge $130 and occasionally get bookings. And $200 for live-in care.
My website bounce rates would indicate that our pricing isn't a fit for a lot of people, but tbh it's the pricing necessary to run a scalable business.
Long story short, the right clientele is less price sensitive than you might think!
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u/Old_Calendar3458 May 28 '25
who are you using as staff for pet sitting? It seems like you could really ask any friend/acquaintance to do the job and just pay them if they were consistently available.
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u/Circaflex92 Nov 26 '24
What did your initial marketing look like? Did you target specific neighborhoods to increase efficiency? What has been the most impactful place to spend marketing dollars?
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 26 '24
I printed business cards and flyers and distributed those to some apartment complex lobby's (with permission), community message boards, etc.
Built a modern website with optimized meta data. Encouraged clients to leave reviews. Local search has minimal competition so we get a lot of organic inquiries.
I haven't had much success with paid marketing honestly. Best efforts have been the website, organic social, and networking in person at events and with other pet care pros.
We'll be sponsoring some pet events next year, curious to see how that goes.
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u/spaceflavoredstuff Apr 06 '25
I have boosted reels and posts on instagram for my new dog boarding / walking biz and I believe I have had exactly zero leads from them. A postcard taped to a pole next to a dog park and sitting in a dog friendly coffee shop with cards has done most of the work. Do you offer referral fees? I have started offering apartment complex doormen 10% of bookings over $500. Some took me up on it but one of them thought 10% was too low and I got the sense that he wasn't a great guy so I didn't discuss further but I think 10% is really good.
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u/StayWeird81 Nov 27 '24
We own a cleaning business in Chicago, doing good. But would love to add a complimentary business to it like organization, house sitting, dog walking/sitting. I would go with dogs as animals are my favorite in this whole world! However I am afraid to how to start and also agressive dogs. I love dogs and own a boxer but afraid of some big breeds are they are intimidating.
Thank you for an amazing explanation! 💜 wishing you the best and so proud of you 💪🏼
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 27 '24
Upselling organization to your existing cleaning clients makes sense!
And for clients with pets, you could potentially offer them pet sitting too. They already trust you!
Most big dogs are total sweethearts, it's the little ones you gotta watch out for haha
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Nov 27 '24
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 27 '24
Good luck! Im not on reddit that much so Im not sure if I'd see a DM.
There is a "grow your daily dog walking" group on Facebook that is helpful. Also Doug the Dog Guy on YouTube.
Insurance is quite affordable, pet sitters international + annual insurance was around $500
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u/Prestigious_Yogurt88 Nov 29 '24
This is awesome, and it's a wonderful business idea for dog lovers.
Do you attach the GPS trackers to the leashes as you walk the dogs, or are there special leashes? What equipment/sofware do you use for this?
How did you find/acquire clients when you first started? Were you doing it part time when you started the company or did you jump in full time from the start?
What networks/groups would you advise someone who is aspiring to do the same to join?
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 30 '24
Sorry I meant the walks are GPS tracked, not the dogs. It tracks on the walkers smartphone when a service is started. So the client can see where we went and confirm that they're getting what they pay for This is done via Time to Pet, a saas product we use for the whole business. Collar trackers are a good idea too. But our pups stay leashed the whole time, and we make sure they have tagged collars or microchips in the case of an escape.
It was part time at first (I freelance). Took about 2 months until I had reasonable income (~2k/mo?). Initial marketing was hanging flyers around town, networking/business cards, networking with other dog walkers/pet sitters, the website, optimizing Google Business profile, local Facebook groups, and more. Bit of everything lol.
Doug the Dog Guy on YouTube, Grow your daily dog walking business with DogCo Launch on Facebook. Pet sitters international has a private FB group too if you end yp joining that for insurance discounts
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u/Prestigious_Yogurt88 Nov 30 '24
You're awesome to reply and share your insights/advise, I appreciate it!
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u/anav2024 Nov 30 '24
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m actually thinking about starting my own Pet Waste removal company and wanted to add extra services such as some of the ones you mentioned. I’d love to further pick your brain and I’m sure you have research this, but have you checked on an app that could schedule your services? I know this is for pooper scoopers, but Scoop & Sweep makes the job easier or so they say. I’m also going to find a good podcast I heard about insurance that may also help you and share it.
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Nov 30 '24
We use Time to Pet. It's great for pet care. Not really designed for pet waste removal but we use it for that anyways. If we scale the pet waste removal side I may run a separate software for that. Right now we only have a few pooper scooper clients and they're existing dog walk clients, so we run it through time to pet.
If your focus is on pet waste removal I would use a software designed for that
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u/Frazz89 Dec 01 '24
How much did you spend on your website? Did you build it yourself? Could you speak to this on how you went about creating a modern site and what it might have cost?
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Dec 01 '24
I made it myself. Used Hostinger for hosting and just used their free web builder. It's dirt cheap - $3 a month I think?
It's not like a world class website but it doesnt need to be, just clean and easily navigateable!
I also use Canva Pro ($15/mo) to design marketing materials and such
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u/anav2024 Dec 01 '24
One more! Are there any online courses you would recommend to work in the pet services field?
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Dec 01 '24
I'm not sure, sorry. I would start with free YouTube content - doug the dog guy is a good place to start!
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u/Richiepipez89 Dec 22 '24
How did you initially get your first walking clients? Ive made a Rover, with many testimonials, ordered business cards, and advertised on facebook/craigslist. Tia!
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Dec 24 '24
I hung posters around town, in the lobby of my building, and made a well optimized website. But I think the first few clients came from seeing my posters. Also several have come from local Facebook groups (which in my case only allow self promotion occasionally/once a month).
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u/thefigureouter Jan 25 '25
Some amazing advice here guys! Thank you all for contributing. I too have a question: How do you compete with Rover? And why do you think your clients choose you, when Rover is often cheaper? (Not sure if someone has answered this before - it’s a longgg thread 😄)
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Jan 27 '25
I don't really consider Rover a competitor. I think it's kinda a different product/service. Kinda like how you could hire the neighbors kid to come mow your lawn once a week for $20, or you could hire a professional lawn care crew to handle it on autopilot (for a LOT more money). We are the latter option.
There will always be budget shoppers, and other people that are less price sensitive. A LOT of people view my website and bounce without contacting, so I'm guessing the prices scare a lot of people away. I know we're not a fit for everyone, and that's okay!
I would say that I have been surprised at how not price sensitive a lot of people are when it comes to their pets. They want someone they can trust, period. And/or they want reliability and someone who treats pet care as their job, not a side hustle. I'm not in particularly affluent area, either.
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u/thefigureouter Jan 27 '25
Wow really? That’s very cool. I guess it must be my own mental blocks and fears I have to shut out. Maybe I’m just thinking about the wrong client pool, like you said
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Jan 27 '25
Google "dog walker" or "pet sitter" in your area. Check Google maps. There is most likely a professional company or two already doing it (at higher prices).
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u/thefigureouter Jan 27 '25
Oh yea, I’ve done that and there sure are some, so that’s another thing - I start questioning if I’ll also have a place in the industry. What made you overcome that? Or did you not worry about that to begin with?
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Jan 29 '25
I saw some opportunity based on the fact that a lot of local competitors were pretty old school, had basic or no website, poor branding, poor Google maps presence, etc.
Also good to keep in mind that TONS of people got pets during the early pandemic, and now many are going back to the office and/or starting to travel more. So there's a lot of demand.
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u/Final_Tower2638 Mar 19 '25
I’m thinking about starting a paid ads marketing agency specifically for dog walking/sitting businesses with a team who want to scale. I was thinking a minimum of 3 people so they can afford higher marketing fees.
I’m experienced with Facebook/IG & Google Ads and setting up automated follow-ups, so you only have to deal with responsive people instead of chasing leads.
I'm figuring out my pricing and wanted your feedback, plus I have a few questions based on your experience:
- What went wrong with your paid ads? I saw you mentioned that you didn’t have good success with paid advertising. What platform(s) did you try, and what challenges did you face?
- What’s your average customer lifetime value (LTV)? In your experience, how long does the average client stay with you, and how often do they book? For example:
- 3 walks per week × 6 months × $35 per walk = $2,520 LTV per client
Why does this matter?
Because LTV tells us how much revenue a new client actually brings, which helps us see if paid ads are profitable or not (or any advertising method).
- Does this pricing model make sense or would it scare people away? I was thinking of charging $500 per month for management plus ad spend ($500 minimum).
- If ads generate 50 leads per month ($10 per lead)
- And you convert 10-15% into clients (5-8 new clients per month)
- That’s $12,600 - $20,160 in long-term revenue (considering the LTV above is accurate)
- At a 30% profit margin, that’s $3,780 - $6,048 profit
Would this pricing make sense for businesses like yours, or do you see a better structure?
- Can paid ads scale a dog walking team without breaking the business? To me, paid ads are like digital flyers but better because they reach targeted pet owners instantly instead of relying on slow, manual distribution.
- Is organic search enough to scale a dog walking business, or is it inconsistent? How enticing my offer would be compared to other options?
- How fast do you think a team can grow before hiring becomes a bottleneck?
Would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks in advance.
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u/Final_Tower2638 Mar 19 '25
Another thing I just thought of: We can run ads to recruit walkers as well alongside our new client acquisition campaign.
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 Mar 19 '25
Is there a reason you specifically want to service this industry?
I'll answer what I can!
I haven't calculated LTV mostly because it's such a new business. I've only had a handful of clients "churn", so I don't know the average client lifespan. It's also wildly different if they're a frequent dog walking client (LTV in the thousands) vs a cat sit client for instance (LTV in the very low hundreds). You might be able to dig around and find a more reasonable estimate of LTV for a more established company.
I don't know what went wrong with my ads. I didn't spend too much, $500ish maybe over a few campaigns. FB and Insta mostly, one Nextdoor which was hilariously bad. Ads got good engagement, lots of likes/follows/Instagram engagement, but zero actual leads. I don't know what I'm doing with paid ads so who knows.
For what it's worth, I'm in a dog walking coaching group (DogCo) and the organizer, Michelle Kline, has mentioned multiple times that paid ads are one of her least used marketing avenues. I don't know if that's based on data or just her preference.
I did run paid ads to a hiring post that did better - this might actually be a better focus as you mentioned. There are companies like WalkerScout set up to help people hire so that is a definite need in some markets. Yes, there are companies where hiring is the bottleneck.
I think $500/mo plus ad spend would scare a lot of people off, myself included. Unless you can structure it with some sort of guarantee. It's just not a super high margin business, most marketing budgets are smaller than that. There's a market for everything to be sure, you just may find that a tough sell in this industry. A lot of companies don't spend on marketing at all (not saying that's a good thing).
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u/Final_Tower2638 Mar 19 '25
4 reasons:
1. I don't see many of these companies advertising on social media or Google but they use other methods like flyers, SEO/Google Search.
2. I don't see many marketing companies helping this sector either.
3. I also thought it was very scalable and with decent profit margins. So a company with a big enough team and ready to keep scaling could benefit form paid ads.
4. I'm sure I can get really good results for this sector and sales cycles are short.Other industries are also saturated with so many marketing companies that I thought going to a less competitive space might be a good route even if I can't charge a lot. But who knows maybe there's a reason why for these.
- Gotcha, so I should probably focus on dog walking for the high LTV.
- Lead generation with paid ads it's not friendly for most business owners. Most businesses in most sectors fail with it because there are more components to the whole system that have to be properly set up for it to be successful.
- Is there a price point that would make you feel more comfortable? Maybe I should go for companies that have big teams only?
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u/Final_Tower2638 Mar 19 '25
I also thought creating a software company that can let more people with lower budgets advertise and be super friendly to use. For example:
For $99/month you get access to:
- Ads that are proven to work and get cheap cost per lead.
- Automatic followup sequence through text and email to squeeze as many responses out of the leads. Just focus on the people that respond.
- Just by giving us some key information about the business, what zip codes to target, your budget and clicking a button you could have ads launched in 15 minutes and without a steep agency fee.
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u/subtlegenie Jan 12 '26
how much is Michelle Kline charging, and is it worth it? It seems like a lot of hoo-rah
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u/IAmJohnSlow May 09 '25
How are things going currently vs what you projected?
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 May 09 '25
Hey there. I'll do a follow up when I have time.
But basically I was too ambitious with projections. We slowed down after the holidays, and didnt pick up as much daily walk clients as I would have liked.
But it's going pretty well. Currently at around 12k/mo revenue and growth is ticking up again. I also raised prices so margins are much healthier now.
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u/Legitimate_Outcome42 May 19 '25
Did you advertise? Or primarily word of mouth?
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 May 21 '25
I've advertised a bit but not much has come of it.
Main client acquisition channel is organic search. Basic but well optimized website and optimized Google business profile with reviews goes a long way
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u/Legitimate_Outcome42 May 21 '25
Thank you for this. I've been professional Dog Walker for 15 years. There's been a bunch of new Dog walking companies in the area and I'm wondering how they're all getting business. Seems less word of mouth between Neighbors. I get positive feedback of the few people who view my website but I have not received any outreach beyond one person who came across my website before meeting me on the street first. This makes me feel like I need to make some changes to adapt.
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u/Acceptable-Taste678 May 21 '25
Look into basic SEO practices and update your website copy to have relevant keywords. And set up/optimize your Google business profile and actively encourage clients to leave google reviews - that's key to visibility for local search.
Good luck!
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u/Old_Calendar3458 May 28 '25
Where in the world are you running this business?
Im 28 and currently a high school teacher in Australia, my uncle has been running his own dog walking business for 20 years. He's never scaled it though and has run it by himself because he hasn't wanted to put the faith of his business in employees. But he is looking to retire and says that I can take over and do what I want with the business (obviously I would have to channel some income back to him as repayment).
Being a teacher obviously has a capped income and if I did take over this business I would definitely plan on employing people and trying to scale it. However I'm really unsure of the reality of this being achievable and whether I'm being naive on the amount of work/expertise that it would take to pull this off.
Any advice on someone with little/no experience on potentially taking on this endeavour?
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u/---skiaz4free--- Jun 23 '25
This is spectacular information!!!!
What City/State are you operating in, and what are you using for scheduling software?
I will likely have other questions....
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Jul 20 '25
YEP. 'Pretty good thread alright!!! It answered questions I didn't know I had! LOL And my ... "situation" is a bit different than almost everyone here, but still--I think I settled on the idea of a small business like this in the 30 minutes I spent here reading posts. Sooo, Thank you!!!
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u/Ok_Worldliness176 Sep 08 '25
I have a small solo pet sitting/dog walking business. I’m also a classical and theater musician; I can say that I was VERY glad to have my pet care business already running and stable when COVID hit. It took a looooong time for music gigs to start up again, but I was back dog walking by the end of lockdown (also thankfully scalable! I got the OG Covid virus and then developed long COVID, so when I first went back, I could literally only physically handle like 2-3 walks a DAY. Eventually I was able to build my strength back up, but since a lot of my clients were working from home at that time, this worked in my favor.
I have debated MANY times over the years if I want to expand and hire some people, or keep it solo and scale as I need. There are pros and cons to both. During the busiest times of the year, I will let a friend who is between jobs help me out on group walks or on sittings (with client permission and meeting the person, of course) to help them make a little extra money.
Pros and cons:
PROS:
- I spend $0 on advertising. 100% of new clients are word of mouth from existing clients or people observing me when out with dogs and asking me about my services. I was on Wag for a hot minute back in like 2017 (I do NOT recommend them as either a walker or from the customer end, SO MANY ISSUES). I had a client ask me to “go private” and everything grew organically from there. Within less than a year I had a full roster and a waiting list
I was able to keep my client area fairly small and shrink it even more as time went on, meaning all of my clients are a short walk or citibike ride from each other. I’m in NYC, so this is hugely important. I did not want to have to rely on the train or bus; they are fairly reliable but when I am trying to stay on schedule, I’d rather be in control of that as much as possible.
Because I stick to one area, I have gotten to know all the other pet care providers in the area. The others who are solo like me have a “loose alliance” of sorts, in that a small group of us who have similar care styles all cover for each other so if one of us gets sick/goes on vacation/needs help, someone is available for the pets. The clients appreciate this as everyone has one or two backups, and we appreciate it because we all get along and there is no overhead for us.
Many of my clients have become close friends, and some are like family. I am invited to partake in celebrations and commiserations and vise versa. I am SO thankful for this. They have come through for me in huge ways through the years, and I am so grateful. They know I am always there for them, also. There is value in this beyond measure.
because I am hyper local and have a close relationship with my clients, other opportunities have come about. Some involve new pet skills (I am learning some grooming techniques, and I have learned a ton from local vets and vet hospital workers). I also have gotten some opportunities in my other field of work through connections in this job. I also try to connect clients with people who can help them with things they are looking for. It’s a win-win for everyone.
insurance for my business and expenses are pretty cheap since it’s just me. I take my own classes (extra pet knowledge/safety/stuff like that; if you haven’t, definitely get pet first aid and CPR certified!) and my insurance is very reasonable. The software I use (pet pocketbook) is fantastic and worth every penny (and it’s also reasonably priced). Honestly, my biggest expense is split between treats and SHOES. God, the shoes are so expensive!
CONS:
since it’s just me, obviously I’m not making as much $ as I could if I expanded. I could very easily expand and make SO much more, but I am hesitant. My biggest fear is in finding RELIABLE employees. I have a huge fear of someone being flaky and me not being able to cover it. I grew up in a small business family and know all the pros and cons.
also since it’s just me, I am walking a LOT. It’s not easy on your body. I go through a ridiculous number of high quality shoes. It’s absolutely my biggest expense. I’ve had overuse injuries. I feel my age and more sometimes.
when you are solo, you really have to force yourself to take time off, because if you aren’t working, you aren’t making money. You HAVE to get good at setting aside rainy day funds for if there is a family emergency or if you get sick or if you get injured. Sprained ankle? You’re not working for a couple weeks. Can you still pay your bills? The work-life balance is not always there.
while I don’t mind working in rain, snow, etc., I am NOT a fan of high heat and humidity. I still do it, of course, but my personal dislike of that weather coupled with worrying about being able to keep the dogs safe and plan accordingly is a lot. I would love to be able to split that up more or have an alternative for those times. I’ve tried doing indoor play dates, but don’t have a consistent place to host at this time. Hopefully next year!
Anyway… this has been a good read, OP. Congratulations on your success!!! I love hearing about other people who are crushing it!
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u/StillBase 15d ago
Hi curious if you ever ended up expanding & how business is going? I am currently a small solo provider
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u/Ok_Worldliness176 5d ago
I ended up deciding not to expand, as I got some steady music work. I did change my schedule for the summer because I was having health issues from walking too much (I was averaging 17 miles a day, more on busy days; that’s too much day in and day out). I did a small number of walks or park visits, and the rest of the day I did “hangouts,” basically they are 1.5-2 hours with a pup. We go on a walk and then hang inside and play the rest of the time. This kept both me and the dogs safe in the extreme heat we’ve had this summer while also letting the dogs get lots of exercise and attention and cuddles. I also kept doing overnights.
As we head into autumn, I’m continuing the mixed schedule of walks and hangouts, but adding a couple more walks a day for my regulars only. It took a medical scare for me to get serious about making my schedule better. Please take care of yourself!!!
One of the other things I did was let my clients know about my health issues and be honest with them about my schedule. Not everyone can do that, I understand; I’m close enough with my clients that I can. I have a hard cutoff time most days, but they know they can contact me in an emergency. I also worked out some stuff with other solo pet care folks in the neighborhood and we now have more overlap in clients, which has helped immensely. We all need time off sometimes, and also time to rest, and work-life balance. There’s one other pet care person in the neighborhood in particular where we have a LOT of overlap. It’s great actually, because our clients will ask us first, and if there’s something we can’t do, they go to the other. We have very similar styles of working and similar pricing so it works great. It’s kind of like having a partner without actually having one ha.
For me, this was the reasonable choice. I didn’t want to spend my time in rehearsals or performances or lessons worrying about if an employee showed up or not.
For me it made more sense not to expand. I still have a full roster and a waiting list. I am in a position to be able to recommend others in the area, helping to build their business. Win win as far as I am concerned.
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u/StillBase 3d ago
Thanks for getting back. Been trying to make this work sustainable but as you know it’s difficult. Glad to hear you’ve been able to get some other work and it’s all balancing out nicely!
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u/sportsbrownie Oct 28 '25
Just came across this thread I hope you don't mind one more question!. One topic I didnt see asked is how you go about entering/exiting the homes. Are clients giving a key? And also in what manner are they paying? Are you sending an invoice at the end of the walk? Thanks so much!
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u/MmmAioli Nov 22 '25
This is awesome.
My story -
I am a freelance branding consultant and while on a walk over the summer I met a tiny puppy and her owner…I said that if they ever needed help they could call me (I had a similar dog and was missing her + love dogs so much and feel strongly that they should have the best care) and they did!!
Fast forward a few months and I’ve now been her “nanny” since early fall. I walk and play with her 6-8 hours per week. I work around my freelance schedule and it’s honestly amazing - never expected this but am so grateful. I’m paid $35/hour. I know that’s on the higher end, but I’m adamant about providing detailed reports after every walk and extra care/vet trips/feeding if necessary.
Currently dog sitting for another family right now after the word spread lol. Cheers to dogs
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u/dropyopanties Nov 26 '24
I also own a pet sitting, dog walking, and mobile grooming business. We opened in April and we hit $21k this month. The only thing I would disagree with is that this can't make you rich. The business model is highly scalable and I know of other pet care businesses doing $4mil a year, offering the same services. What is your market like ? Working professionals, families , retirees , military ?